Charges after fatal knife attack on wife in Linden

After the fatal knife attack on his estranged wife in Linden near Kaiserslautern in Rhineland-Palatinate, the public prosecutor's office has charged a 41-year-old man with murder.

She considers the act on a playground on June 16th to be a so-called femicide. Femicide means that women are killed because of their gender - that is, because they are women and because the perpetrators do not see women as equal, but hate them or want to rule over them. The most common form is the killing of women by partners or ex-partners.

According to the prosecution, the woman separated from her husband in March. After an appointment in family court at the beginning of June, the American reportedly realized that she wanted a final separation. The public prosecutor sees this as a murder motive with base motives.

The man was banned from contact

After the investigation, the then 40-year-old drove to his wife's home in Linden in a rented car. He is said to have already made the decision to kill her. When he noticed that the woman was at a playground with their two youngest children, he drove there. When the 37-year-old left the square and went to her car, he drove towards her.

According to the public prosecutor's office, he got out with a cutter knife, held his wife and injured her throat. She fell to the ground and was then injured again in the neck. The woman died at the scene. The man then injured his neck and lay down next to his wife.

In addition to base motives, the public prosecutor sees the murder characteristic of treachery as fulfilled. The woman had obtained an interim order under the Violence Protection Act. The house in Linden was given to her for her sole use, and the man was also banned from contact.

No limitation of culpability

It was said that he stuck to it until the crime. The attack came as a surprise to the woman. She had no sufficient opportunity to escape or defend herself and was only able to put her hand in his knife.

According to the authority, the investigation also included a psychiatric report. Accordingly, the man had suffered from psychological problems for several years. After the breakup, he attempted suicide. However, this did not result in any limitation of liability.

The 41-year-old is exercising his right to remain silent and has no criminal record. He is in custody. The Kaiserslautern jury court must now decide whether to open the main proceedings.